EU nation REFUSES to impose Brussels law as tension between east and west members mounts

EU nation REFUSES to impose Brussels law as tension between east and west members mounts

BULGARIA is on a collision course with the European Union after the country withdrew a European treaty to combat violence against women in further signs tensions between the east and west of the bloc have reached boiling point.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said today the ruling GERB party has withdrawn the European treaty, designed to combat violence against women, from ratification in parliament after strong opposition expressed by religious and political groups.

The centre-right government, led by Mr Borissov, submitted the Council of Europe convention for ratification last month but the move divided opinion in the EU’s poorest country.

The dispute overshadows Mr Borissov's efforts to present the ex-communist state, which joined the European Union in 2007, as a progressive and open-minded country during its first stint as chair of the bloc.

This is the second time the Balkan nation, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, has clashed with Brussels bureaucrats

It also highlights widespread resistance among the more socially conservative countries of the former eastern bloc to the liberal values of wealthier western Europe.

Speaking to Bulgarian television station bTV, Mr Borissov confirmed the GERB would not proceed with the ratification of the treaty, also known as the Istanbul Convention, due to lack of support from political parties, including the nationalist United Patriots, its junior coalition partner.

It comes after Volen Siderov, a United Patriots' co-leaders, warned the party against parliamentary approval for the treaty, saying it could lead to the fall of the government and early parliamentary elections.

Ahead of the decision, Mr Borissov said: "We will adopt the Istanbul Convention only if there is a consensus in Bulgarian society,”during an interview on Wednesday night, three weeks after his party decided to delay the vote to allow more time for debate.

Critics of the treaty, including the influential Bulgarian Orthodox Church, say it could encourage young people to identify as transgender or third sex and lead to same-sex marriage in the country of 7.1 million people.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev also came out against the treaty, saying the loose and vague language used in the text allows for multiple interpretations, which could result in dire consequences for the Black Sea state.

The president, who was elected in November 2016, argued that the convention itself does not prevent violence, adding the problem still exists in countries that have already ratified it.

The Socialists, the main opposition party in the Balkan country, even demanded a referendum on the issue.

Bulgaria's government signed the 81-article document in 2016 and parliamentary ratification is the next step.